Jordan Caron looking to crack Bruins lineup

The Bruins return 11 forwards who saw significant playing time last season, meaning there is likely only one spot in the regular lineup open up front. One of the candidates to fill it is 2009 first-round pick Jordan Caron, who last season registered 12 goals and 16 assists in 47 games with Providence and three goals and four assists in 23 games with Boston.

Caron was a member of the “Black Aces” that served as healthy scratches during the playoffs, and he got the chance to practice with the big club during the Stanley Cup final after Nathan Horton went down. Caron said he is fully aware of what’s up for grabs during this training camp.

“There might be a spot open, but it’s going to be my job to earn it and win it,” Caron said. “If I play like I’m supposed to and I do what I have to do, I think I have a good chance to win the job.”

The 6-foot-2 winger said his biggest assets are his two-way play and his ability to battle in corners and create space for his linemates. He said the one thing he continues to work on the most is his skating, which was described as “average” by some scouts before he was drafted.

“For me, it’s always been my skating,” Caron said. “Keep improving my skating, my explosion and moving my feet. I worked a lot on that over the summer, like I do every summer. I think every year I’m getting better at it.”

His improvement in that area, as well as everywhere else, hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I was watching him today, and he was certainly a guy that kind of grabbed my attention,” Claude Julien said. “He’s got good size. He seemed to be skating well. That’s what he did last year, as well — he was skating well and had good jump. Hopefully with a year of experience at the pro level now, he’ll be able to maintain that jump.

“He’s a pretty smart player. He’s got good hockey sense, and you see his reads are pretty good. He’s one of those guys that’s battling for a job, and we’re certainly going to keep a close eye on him.”